Something Pretty
by LemonStar
Summary: ..Daryl/Beth.. AU S4 prison. Follow-up to "The Most". A day at the prison. Daryl slowly pulled his lips back from Beth's, smiling a little as her lips seemed to follow after his, not nearly ready enough for their kiss to end. "Come on," he said. "Time to start the day."
1. Chapter 1

**This is going to be just three or four parts. I wanted to try and write more of the prison life and practice at it since writing the Zombie universe stories isn't my strong suit. I hope you like it!**

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…

Beth didn't feel like getting out of bed that morning though having a bit of a lie in was never an option anymore. She was warm and still a bit sleepy and she laid curled on her side, watching as Daryl moved around their cell, getting himself ready for the day. Tugging on his jeans and then his tee-shirt followed by a flannel shirt.

It was getting colder outside, winter right upon them, and she knew Daryl was restless at night, his mind heavy with thoughts of getting everyone through the upcoming months. He had to make sure everyone had enough clothes and blankets and that they had enough food. She would tell him more than once a day that they were all going to be fine and he was taking care of them and Daryl nodded and Beth knew that he heard her but he was never really listening.

Beth wished Daryl believed in himself like she did. She wished he was able to see just how well he was able to care for all of these people and this prison and how they would all fall without him there with them.

She wished for it more than anything but she knew that Daryl would probably never believe it – no matter how many times she told him. He had no problem in believing in other things. In Rick and in her and in this place that they had built to be their new home – safe and strong – but he never took the time to believe that he was one of the reasons all of this was such a success. It's just who he was.

Daryl sat down on the edge of the bed to tug on his boots and he looked over his shoulder, smiling a little as he looked at her. Beth smiled, too, in response. She knew that she was really the only person to get an actual Daryl Dixon smile and not just his usual smirk like he gave to most of the others.

"Time to get dressed, girl," he said and bent over to double-knot his laces.

"Mmmm," Beth just hummed pleasantly, snuggling herself deeper beneath the covers. "I love to feel the cotton on my naked skin," she said as she had already told him more than once before this morning.

"Can't be naked all day," he told her as if she had been thinking of doing such a thing. She smiled at him, almost giggled, and he leaned over her then, his arms on either side of her body, propping himself above her, and she turned onto her back so she could look up at him. "I'll stop gettin' you naked at night if you have such a hard time gettin' dressed in the morning," he then threatened her but when she gasped in horror, a small smile slipped through on his face.

"Don't even joke about that," she said and then her hands fisted in the front of his shirt and pulled him down.

"Addicted to me that bad, Greene?" He smirked this time and then his lips were meeting hers, soft like all of their kisses usually were in the early mornings.

"Don't act like I'm the only one," she murmured against his lips before she slanted her mouth against his and Daryl deepened the kiss, his tongue reaching to meet hers, swallowing her soft moan, and Beth's arms slipped around his shoulders and more of Daryl's body relaxed on top of hers.

They could hear the others in their cell block beginning their days. Rick trying to get a reluctant Carl from bed, Judith whimpering from her pen – she had slept in Rick's cell the night before – Maggie asking Glenn and Hershel if they wanted coffee, Carol telling Rick that she was off to check on Lizzie.

Daryl slowly pulled his lips back from Beth's, smiling a little as her lips seemed to follow after his, not nearly ready enough for their kiss to end.

"Come on," he said. "Time to start the day."

Beth sighed this time because she knew there was no more lingering and she nodded her head, watching as Daryl pushed himself from her and stood up. Beth sat up, finally pushing the covers from her body and nearly immediately breaking into goosebumps from the coldness of the air. As she began getting herself dressed, Daryl finished with himself, slipping on his leather vest and then beginning to arm himself with his several knives, storing them all over his body.

By the time he was done, Beth was done, too, making the bed now and then going to stand in front of the small mirror on the wall, combing out her hair and braiding it. She discovered that the best way for her to wear her hair was in a braid pinned up and circling her head like a crown. Judith had gotten into the nasty habit of pulling on her ponytail if she wore her hair in one and Beth got the image of a walker doing the same thing if she got too close to the fences. She felt this was safer for everyone.

Daryl had leaned against the wall, watching her. "What are you doin' today?"

"The little ones are working on adding and subtracting double digits and the older ones are working on multiplying and dividing double digits," Beth said. "That should take all morning. All of this time later and I still have kids moaning about why they have to know how to do this stuff and how much they miss calculators."

Daryl smirked at that. "Tell 'em that they need to know 'cause someday, they're gonna be in charge of this place and they need to know math to figure out how much food each person here gets."

Beth smiled at that and going to him, she stood on her toes and kissed him. "Maybe you'll want to help me teach math class this morning."

He smirked again and shook his head. "Headin' out this morning."

She looked at him for a moment and her brow furrowed. "I didn't know there was a run today. You didn't say anything."

"Jus' came to me last night," he shrugged. "Gonna go talk to Glenn and Sasha 'bout it."

"Daryl-"

"You were shiverin' somethin' fierce this mornin' 'fore you woke up. We need more blankets," he said.

"I'm fine," Beth was quick to assure him with a shake of her head. "I have you to keep me warm. Just because we're together doesn't mean you have to go on a run just for me," she said.

"Fine," he frowned at that. "I'm goin' to find more blankets for everyone."

Beth sighed softly, knowing there was no arguing with him. If Daryl wanted to go on a run that morning, there would be nothing for her to say to get him to change his mind. No matter how often he went on a run – at least twice a week – Beth never got used to it and she knew she probably never would. It may have been safe inside of their prison home but it could never be forgotten that on the other side of their fences, the world was anything but safe and the walkers weren't the only dangerous thing out there. Each time Daryl went outside those fences, Beth felt as if she was able to hardly breathe until she saw him return again.

They left their cell together – Beth heading towards Rick and the instant Judith saw her coming, the baby stretched her arms out for her. Beth eagerly took her into her arms and kissed her on the head and Judith snuggled her head happily against her neck.

Rick was trying to spend more time with daughter after going months of hardly being able to be around her and though Judith slept some nights in his cell – sleeping in Beth's the other nights – the baby was still getting used to her father and brother. It was no secret to any of them that she still preferred Beth above all others and Beth was still her main caregiver while Rick was off each day, caring for his crops.

"Thanks, Beth," Rick said to her.

Beth smiled at him and then looked to Judith. "Come on, Juju. Let's get you washed up." She stopped by her cell and grabbed the baby shampoo and a fresh cloth diaper and onesie before carrying Judith from the cellblock and heading to the bathrooms.

Daryl watched her go and then turned back to Sasha and Glenn, who had gathered with him beneath one of the windows. "We need more blankets," he informed them though it wasn't really anything new. It seemed like every other day, they were talking about blankets and winter coats.

Sasha nodded. "I actually think we need to hit up some offices," she said.

"What for?" Glenn asked, frowning a little with his confusion.

"When I worked in an office before," Sasha began and Daryl had a hell of a time imagining the Sasha he knew spending her days, sitting in a cubicle. "One of the biggest issues was the thermostat. Some people would be freezing and others would be burning up and no one could ever agree on the right set temperature. I had coworkers who began bringing in their own little space heaters and putting them under their desks to keep them warm during the day."

Daryl hadn't thought of that and he nodded his head, feeling a little excited at the idea. He never would have thought of that one on his own. He hadn't exactly been the sort to step inside of any office before this happened.

Glenn was still frowning though. "Space heaters are a fire hazard though. What if someone forgets to turn it off and the block catches on fire?"

"There's too many people around who will be able to check on them," Sasha said confidently. "Besides, it's not like we're going to be able to get one for everyone."

"We'll head towards the town and see what we can scrounge up," Daryl said even though they had pretty much already taken everything from the nearby town that they could and there would probably be nothing useful left. "The houses, too."

"Just the three of us?" Glenn asked. "Maybe Michonne, too."

"Yeah. Just the four of us," Daryl gave his head a nod. "We'll leave in an hour."

They dispersed after that, Glenn heading out, probably to go find Maggie and Sasha headed outside to get herself some breakfast. Daryl headed towards the bathrooms.

There were others in there, brushing their teeth and shaving at the sinks and others in the shower stalls, warm steam hanging in the air. Beth was kneeling on the floor at the small plastic tub they had found for Judith to bathe in and the baby was happily sitting up, splashing the water with giggles as Beth laughed too and washed her hair.

Daryl watched for a moment from the doorway. He wondered if Judith would be the last baby they would ever see. A part of him hoped so – especially with the way lil' Asskicker had been brought into this world. He wondered, sometimes, if Maggie and Glenn would get pregnant and Daryl was already thinking about what would need to be done if that happened. They had the things from Judith they could reuse and hopefully, Maggie would be able to feed the baby so they wouldn't have to rely on formula which was damn near impossible to find. It wasn't as if none of them could handle a baby. It's just Daryl really didn't want to handle one. Life had gotten better for them since finding this place but it still wasn't easy and a baby would just make already hard things even harder.

He wondered how Beth felt about a baby because over his dead body would he ever have one.

"Hey," Daryl approached her, his lips twitching a little as Judith seemed to splash water all over the floor and seemed to be quite happy about that judging by her wide smile, a few of her white baby teeth exposed.

"Hey," Beth smiled at him as he crouched down beside her.

"Headin' out in an hour," he said and watched as her smile faded.

She nodded. "I'll come find you before you leave."

Daryl nodded, too, and looked at her, wanting to say something to her but not quite knowing what to say because it wasn't as if he could promise to her that everything would be alright. Promises like that were empty and Beth would only be insulted and probably get angry at him if he made a promise like that to her.

So he didn't say anything and there were too many people around so he didn't lean into her. It was obviously no secret that him and Beth were together but he still didn't like to take out advertisements about it and put on a show for everyone. They definitely weren't Maggie and Glenn. Those two could be downright disgusting with all of their open displays and he didn't understand how they could be comfortable with everyone knowing their business like that.

He and Beth shared a cell and a bed but no one had ever heard them going at it at night. Daryl made sure of that and Beth seemed to agree, judging by how hard she would bite down on her lip or the pillow or bury her face in the side of his neck, making nothing louder than a whimper.

He looked at her for another moment and then got up, heading from the bathrooms and heading outside. People had already begun their jobs. Cooking and eating breakfasts before heading out. There were those coming off of night guard duty and those reporting for morning guard duty in the towers. Those down at the fences, picking the walkers off and those getting themselves ready to go out and empty the pits and take the walker bodies away to burn them. Rick and Hershel were already heading down to the fields of crops with Carl, running late, hurrying after them.

He headed towards Carol, who was standing at the outdoor grill with a large pot over the flames, stirring whatever she was cooking. Lizzie was beside her, reading through a comic book that Carl had brought her. The girl stayed in her cell most days, staying under lock and key because they didn't know what else to do for her, but other days, she would come out as long as someone was able to always keep an eye on her. She was never allowed anywhere on her own.

Some days, she seemed fine. Perfectly normal. And it was hard to believe that this young girl was the same one who had stabbed Daryl and who thought walkers were people, too, and her friends. And then other days, it seemed as if she wasn't there at all. She didn't speak or make eye contact and today seemed like one of those days. As Daryl came towards Carol, Lizzie never lifted her head and kept reading. She seemed completely unaware of anything around her.

"Morning, Pookie," Carol smiled at him and Daryl just smirked, shaking his head. She picked up a plastic bowl and scooped a helping of oatmeal from the pot into it before handing it to him. "Sasha says you're heading out in a little bit."

Daryl gave a head nod, shoveling the first spoonful into his mouth. "Need anythin'?"

Carol shook her head but then she cocked it to the side, gesturing towards Lizzie. "Maybe some fake flowers or something like that? For her cell? Brighten it up a bit."

Daryl looked to Lizzie and then back to Carol, nodding. "Yeah," he agreed. He'd tell Sasha and Glenn to keep their eyes out for something like that, too.

"Good morning!" Beth greeted cheerfully, coming from behind to stand beside Daryl, Judith in her arms.

"Morning," Carol smiled in return and got Beth her own bowl of oatmeal.

"Hi, Lizzie," Beth said to the girl, her smile never wavering, but Lizzie didn't lift her head from the comic book and didn't seem to be aware of any of them standing there. Beth looked back to Carol and Carol shrugged _. One of those days_ , she said silently and Beth nodded, shifting Judith to one arm, settling her on her hip, and took the bowl of oatmeal with the other. "Smells delicious," Beth said, taking a whiff of the steaming bowl of apple flavored oatmeal though the apple taste had long faded.

"How much we got left of this stuff?" Daryl asked Carol.

Beth slipped away then, letting Daryl talk, and she went to a nearby table, settling herself down and setting Judith up on the table in front of her. She had two plastic spoons and she would take a bite and then guide the spoon to Judith's mouth for another bite. Back and forth she went until the bowl was almost empty.

"Good, huh, Juju?" Beth asked as the baby nodded, swallowing her small spoonful down, and Beth smiled, wiping at her chin.

"Beth!"

She turned her head to see Luke and Mika running towards her, both looking eager, and at the sight of their own smiles, Beth smiled, too.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" She asked.

"Look!" Luke held up a heavy-looking small leather bag.

Beth turned on the bench and took the bag, pulling open the drawstring and peeking inside. "Where did you get these?" She asked, lifting her head from the piles of small red berries inside.

"Over there," Mika pointed towards the fences on the west side of the prison. "There's a bunch of bushes growing right over there."

Beth's brow furrowed. "Inside the fences?" She didn't know they had bushes like that growing in here that gave little red berries like this.

"Nope, right on the other side," Luke said.

"What?!" Beth gasped. "You went outside the fences?"

Both kids just kept smiling and nodded.

"We thought we could use them for math class today. It would give us something to count out as we worked the problems," Mika explained.

Beth didn't hear the reasoning though. "You went outside the fences?" She said again and she felt her heart racing, drumming at the base of her throat. "How did you even get outside of the fences without someone seeing?"

"There's a hole," Luke answered nonchalantly.

That was probably one of the worst words a person could say nowadays. _Hole_.

"Daryl!" Beth called out, knowing she sounded panicked but unable to help herself and she quickly stood up, scooping Judith up and watching as Daryl hurried to her.

"Wha's goin' on?" He asked, immediately taking note of the alarm clear on her face.

"Show us, Luke," Beth said and Luke and Mika, neither thinking much of what they had told Beth, nodded and turned and Daryl followed them without question. On the way, they passed Maggie and Beth passed Judith into her sister's arms.

"Everything alright?" Maggie asked.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm probably just overreacting," Beth said and tried to smile though how much could a person really overreact nowadays?

Luke and Molly led them down the sloping hill to the base of it, against a far corner of fence where they patrolled but not that often as most walkers tended to congregate in the front of the prison and here, there were remnants of a fallen brick wall that had never been cleaned away.

"Show us," Beth said again.

"Right here," Luke said and with that, he dropped down to his knees and began to shimmy forward on his stomach, sliding himself beneath a hole beneath the fence that no one besides small children or animals would ever be able to get through.

"Can I go too?" Mika asked.

Beth swallowed and didn't say anything but nodded her head and Mika quickly followed behind Luke. Within minutes, they were both underneath the fence and popping up on the other side, like gophers amongst the bricks.

"Ta-Da!" Mika exclaimed happily, giving them a toothy grin.

"And here's the bushes, Beth!" Luke pointed excitedly to the clumping of bushes all bursting with the red berries.

Beth didn't know what to say and she looked to Daryl, who also wasn't saying anything. He was looking down at the hole, studying it. Then, keeping the crossbow in his hands, he crouched down, inspecting it closer. He couldn't imagine anyone besides kids and small animals slipping through this. Looked like a maybe a gopher had burrowed it a while ago and the kids had stumbled upon it.

He lifted his eyes and looked to the kids. "You got knives on you?" He asked. He knew Carol had been teaching them stuff like that. But when they shook their heads, he frowned. "Get back in here then," he ordered gruffly, standing up.

He stepped back again to Beth as Luke and then Mika got themselves through the hole once more and stood before them. Daryl crouched in front of them, still frowning.

"You never go through this hole again without havin' a weapon on you, got it?" He told the children in his gruff way, unable to keep from frowning. The kids should know better than to go out there unarmed. Yeah, none of them had been outside the fences since they had first been brought in but still. They should all know better.

Luke and Mika nodded obediently. Beth knew no one dared disobey Daryl Dixon.

"Are you going to fill the hole?" Mika asked.

Daryl was quiet for a moment, standing back up, looking to the hole and then to them again. "Nah. If anythin' happens here and we all have to get out, you kids are gonna get out this way. It's your escape plan. Got it?"

Beth hadn't thought of that but she supposed that was why Daryl was in charge and not her. When Luke and Mika had told her about the hole, she had pictured a gaping one in the side of the fence that anyone could walk through. She had probably panicked Daryl, too, but leave it do Daryl to look at this and see something that most others wouldn't have been able to.

"We'll cover the other end of it out there more so no one can find it who shouldn' find it," Daryl added. "We'll do that later today when I get back from my run."

"We get to help?" Luke almost gasped as if he had just been asked to perform on stage with his favorite rock star and Beth nearly smiled, pursing her lips together.

Beth knew that that was how many of the kids looked to Daryl. He was some sort of untouchable, invisible God amongst them. She wondered if he knew just how cool they all considered him to be and what he thought about it if he did know.

"Course you get to help. 's your hole," Daryl said and Mika and Luke turned to one another with excited, wide eyes. Daryl turned to Beth. "Gotta get ready to head out. You need anything?"

Beth shook her head and didn't say goodbye. They never did. They both hated goodbyes and they didn't like to think about the possibility of never seeing one another again. The few moments Beth did allow herself to think such things, she really had no idea what she would do if anything ever happened to Daryl.

He kept looking at her and she knew he wouldn't say anything so she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his in what she had been planning on being a quick kiss but as soon as her lips touched his, she found herself having difficulty pulling away. And when she finally did, she found herself doing it slowly. She could hear Mika and Luke, still standing there, giggling as they watched, but Beth didn't care and her eyes fluttered open, finding that Daryl was already staring intently at her.

She gave him a small smile. "See you when you get back."

Daryl nodded and leaned in, giving her a firm kiss on the forehead. "See 'ya when I get back," he said and then he strode away quickly as if he needed to put as much space between them as he could in that moment or he wouldn't leave at all.

Beth turned and watched him walk away and waited for the pressure in her chest to lessen like it eventually did every time he went outside the fences.

"Are you two gonna get married?" Mika grinned up at her.

Beth just smiled and put one hand on the girl's head and her other hand on Luke's.

"Come on. We have math to get to this morning," she said and let out a slight laugh as both kids groaned but they dutifully walked with Beth back up the hill towards the sunny patch of grass which had become their schoolroom.

Beth tried not to watch Daryl climbing into one of the cars. She couldn't stop herself from wondering what it would be like to be married to Daryl Dixon. Probably no different than it always felt with him. Comfortable and natural and happy and… and absolutely wonderful.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I think this will be a three-shot. I have a terrible cold so I hope this chapter makes some sort of sense.**

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…

He always took a small group with him out on runs. There was safety in numbers, yes, but as he had once told Hershel, sooner or later, almost every time they were out here, they ran and with a small group, it was easier to run and get them to safety.

Glenn and Sasha were always on the run crew with him and today, Michonne was with them and Daryl would never turn down Michonne's company when he had to go outside of the fences. He would always trust her to have his back and they had been through enough bad runs together to anticipate the other's movements.

They took two cars. Daryl and Sasha were in the first and Glenn and Michonne were in the second and after driving out of the prison, they headed towards the nearest town – about forty minutes away from the prison. Daryl knew it was pretty much cleared out but he wanted to stop there first – just in case there was something they had missed. They would then head further out. It hadn't been a thoroughly planned run so he wasn't going to keep them out there all day. Just long to come back with at least a couple of things.

He swerved the wheel and easily bypassed a walker rambling down the middle of the road and sped past. He and Sasha didn't talk. It was one of the reasons why he liked Sasha. She could be just as silent as him and her glare could be just as cutting. People liked to tease and say that Michonne was Daryl in the female form but silently, he thought he and Sasha were more alike. Michonne was intense. No way around that but she was smiling a lot more these days and joking and laughing – usually when around Rick and Carl. Daryl supposed he was smiling more himself these days but most still considered him to a be the surly type of person. Sasha could make someone squirm with just a silent stony look or a simple arch of an eyebrow.

"So, just things for winter?" Sasha asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Yeah. You need somethin' else?" Daryl glanced to her before back to the road.

"Yeah, I've been thinking," she informed him. "With it getting colder, Beth's going to have to move school inside. We should clean one of the rooms out for her. Move some tables in there. Maybe find her a chalkboard or something. Make it a real classroom," she said.

Daryl was quiet as he thought that through and wondered why he hadn't thought of it before this. There was a small school in the town. Maybe they would have some stuff they could take back to Beth and the kids. Beth becoming the prison teacher was just one of those things that had happened. She had been the main caregiver for all of the little kids running around and it just kind of came with the job. Keeping them educated was important to Beth. The world might have ended but she felt it was important for the kids to know how to read and use their minds to think. It was important to her to know that she was helping with keeping humanity going.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed with a head nod. "Sounds good."

They pulled into town and he and Sasha did a quick count of six walkers stumbling around. He circled the block and came back up the main street, pointing in the direction of the prison in case there had to be a quick getaway and Michonne did the same, pulling the second car up alongside his.

The four got out from the cars, weapons at the ready, and they took out the six walkers stumbling towards them easily enough. Daryl went to collect the bolt from the head of one and as he did, he looked around at the desolate picked over town. He then looked to Michonne, Glenn and Sasha. He didn't know if it was safe but it was really the only way and all four of them were capable of taking care of themselves.

"Meet back here in thirty minutes?" Daryl suggested.

It was met with three head nods and with that, they went off in different directions. Glenn headed towards the hardware store that had long been emptied but there were apartments above the businesses that Daryl couldn't remember if they'd been check yet or not. Sasha walked towards the State Farm Insurance office and Michonne headed down the street. Daryl turned and headed towards the one-story school that had housed all twelve grades. He hoped it would be a goldmine for Beth and the kids and he still couldn't quite believe that he hadn't thought of this before Sasha mentioning it.

The front doors to the school creaked open on rusty hinges and it opened into a hallway dim with sunlight from sky lights above in the ceiling, showcasing the thick dust covering everything and the specks dancing in the air. Daryl moved quietly though the doors had alerted three walkers and he shot one in the head with his crossbow while using his knife on the other two. He stood there for a moment, catching his breath, and waited to see if the fight had brought others. He knew there were others in that school. He'd probably run into them eventually.

But for now, there was nothing but silence and Daryl alone in the main hallway. He headed into the first classroom across the hall from the front office and stopped short in the doorway, looking at everything there; everything that had been untouched for years.

He couldn't believe they hadn't come into this school yet. Maybe they had all stupidly thought that there would be nothing in a school that would be too useful for them and had busied themselves with emptying other places in town instead.

But Daryl stood there and made sure that he told the others. From now on, they would check absolutely _every_ single place they passed. This school was a fucking goldmine and Daryl couldn't wait to get back to the prison and show everything he brought back with him to Beth. He could already imagine her smile and the way her eyes twinkled when she got excited and the way she threw her arms around him in a celebratory hug.

Daryl stepped further into the room, moving slowly as if moving any faster would make all of this stuff disappear. Daryl figured he had walked into the kindergarten room and he barely remembered kindergarten but kindergartners took naps.

And naps meant blankets.

…

Once she watched as the young ones began their math problems, Beth turned her attention on the older kids.

Rick had sent Carl over for the math lesson that morning and he sat in the grass, looking none too pleased to be there. And Beth understood why. Carl was older than the other kids there and Beth was just a few years older than him. He didn't want to be sitting in on lessons, listening to instructions from someone he didn't have much respect for. Beth knew that Carl considered her a friend – they had all been through way too much to not be friends if not family – but he considered himself so much older than her. It didn't matter that she was with Daryl or had proven to everyone just how important she was to the prison and the people there and how she could take care of herself. When it came to this world, Carl, in his mind, was made for it more than Beth ever would.

Carl sat in the back of the group, looking down at the math problems Beth had made up on a sheet of notebook paper and she saw that his pencil hadn't moved to solve any of them. She tried not to sigh and she didn't want to lecture him. Carl didn't see a need to continue with education with how things were now and it wasn't her place to force him into learning or wanting to learn. Rick had thought it would be a good idea but Carl obviously didn't agree with his father.

Judith had crawled over to Carl and the boy's lips turned upwards in a smile as his sister plopped herself down beside him, babbling to herself as she played with her prized stuffed elephant that Daryl had brought back to her from one of his runs.

Beth hesitated for a moment and then stood up from her spot in the grass, going over to Carl and sitting down in front of him. He looked to her and his smile faded but Beth was not going to be deterred by him and she smiled.

"Need any help?" She asked him.

She expected him to say no or tell her this was stupid or just get up and walk away. And as he looked at her, maybe he thought about doing all of those things. But then, he looked to Judith and let out a sigh.

"We were just learning multiplication before… I don't know this stuff," he admitted.

"That's alright," Beth was quick to assure him with a smile. "I can show you, if you'd like," she offered. "Math was always my best subject which was always a bit odd because the artistic sorts are never the strongest in math and science. But I always loved learning about all of the different things that could be done with numbers. And I was talking with Daryl this morning and he thinks math is important, too."

It didn't surprise her that Carl looked a little surprised at that.

"He did?" He asked.

"Yep," she nodded with a smile. "He thinks that math has to be know if everyone wants to keep this prison going. How much food to store. How much food each person gets in relation to how much food we have… things like that," she explained.

Carl looked down at the sheet in his lap for a moment and then looked at Beth. "Alright," he nodded. "You can teach me," he said and she smiled at him to make sure he knew she thought he was doing her a huge favor by letting her do this.

She knew it was always important to Carl to be treated older than he actually was.

Beth spent the morning teaching Carl the multiplication tables – twos, threes, fours and fives so far – and going over the worksheets of the other children and helping them figure out why they got a particular problem wrong. She didn't even realize it was lunchtime until Rick came up to the children, a smile on his face as he looked at Carl, a pencil in one hand and math flashcards in his other.

"How's it going?" Rick asked as he bent down, scooping Judith up in his arms.

"Beth's a good teacher," Carl nodded, getting to his feet.

"Alright, guys!" Beth called to the other children as everyone else scrambled to your feet. "Go wash up for lunch and then library afterwards for story time."

The kids took off running and Beth turned to see Rick looking at her.

"You think Carl would want to go to story time?" Rick asked and Carl sighed heavily.

Beth laughed slightly. "Maybe Carol's but definitely not mine," she said, taking pity on Carl. Rick wanted his son to be a child but it just wasn't going to happen. Not anymore and after everything that had happened. "We're reading _Robin Hood_ right now," she said.

"That doesn't sound _too_ bad…" Carl seemed to be reluctant to admit.

Beth smiled at him. "Well, you're more than welcome to join us after lunch."

All of her current thoughts were wiped from her mind though the instant she heard the rumble of a car engine approaching. She instantly turned towards the front gates and her heart began speeding up. He was back. He had been gone for longer than she had thought he would be but she had tried to not think about it that morning and was grateful for the distraction math problems could provide her.

But he was back and she could breathe again. At least, she thought he was back. There were two cars and neither seemed to be speeding as if there was an emergency of needed medical attention.

She didn't mean to be rude but she began hurrying away from Rick and Carl without another word to them. She couldn't help it. Her eyes were set on the front car and as it got closer, she said a silent prayer that it was Daryl sitting behind the wheel. The front gates were open and the two cars drove in, heading up the gravel drive, and others had come to meet the cars now, too, to help with the unloading – if the four had managed to get that much.

The cars stopped and the front driver's door of the first car opened and there was Daryl, dirty and sweaty but nothing out of the ordinary for him and Beth hurried to him. Without a word, she came right up to him and threw her arms around him. Whenever he got back from a run, it usually was the most affection they ever gave one another in front of others. They were a private couple who liked to keep their relationship to themselves but this was always the one time she wasn't able to help herself. When she was overcome with relief and gratitude that he had come back.

Daryl's own arms bound around her waist as she buried her face in his neck and his own head dropped down, his forehead finding her shoulder. She heard other people around them, all helping with the haul and seeing what was able to be found but Beth wasn't interested in that right now. She had no interest in ending this hug with Daryl at least for a few more minutes and Daryl didn't seem ready to let go of her either. He had only been gone for a handful of hours but it didn't matter how long a run took. An hour or a day. It didn't matter because each minute that ticked by with members of her family outside of that prison felt like an eternity.

"We messed up," Daryl then grunted and Beth tensed, pulling her head back so she was able to look up to his face, asking the silent question. "There was a school we never thought to check. Didn' think there'd be anythin' we needed in there."

"What'd you find?" Beth asked, assuming he was telling her this now because they had gone into the school this time.

Daryl didn't answer. Instead, he just stepped away from her and turned towards the car and Beth followed behind him. People were gathered around the back doors and the trunks of both cars, helping carry the haul back into the prison where it could be sorted and divided amongst the cells. Beth almost gasped when she saw everything.

Blankets and thick ropes that she recognized as the sort that used to hang in gyms for kids to climb as well as the heavy blue gym mats, cooking pots and pans and utensils from the kitchen, plenty of canned goods and junk food from vending machines, first aid supplies from the nurse's office, an assortment of tools and chemicals from the custodian closet, packages of toilet paper and paper towels, markers and crayons and school books and on and on. The cars were overflowing and Beth stared at it all with an open mouth and wide eyes. It was as if they had hit another Big Spot.

She turned her head to look at Daryl and he was already looking at her, clearly watching her for her reaction.

"How… how did no one get to that school already?" She asked and she couldn't help but be a little confused. She thought no places remained untouched anymore – especially untouched like this that could provide for them such a bounty.

Daryl shrugged. "'m thinkin' that when everythin' went to shit, people were too panicked to think of it. Headed towards Atlanta, thinkin' it was the good idea. And then after that… prob'ly thought like we did. Nothing useful could be in a school."

"It's almost too good to be true," she murmured as one of the kids, Henry, raced past her, holding a basketball in one arm and a container of cotton balls in his other. She looked back to Daryl and was finally able to smile. "Maybe our luck has finally changed," she said.

Daryl met that with a frown though. "Don't say shit like that. You say somethin' like that, that's when it all goes to hell."

Beth laughed a little. "We live in a prison with the dead walking around and clawing at the fences to get in here and eat us. It hasn't already gone to hell?" She teased him.

Daryl smirked but didn't respond to that. Beth was surprised when he reached over and took her hand and pulled her to Glenn and Michonne's car. "Gotcha somethin'," he told her as he led her to the trunk. Beth waited and watched as he dug around for something. He then straightened with a bit of chalkboard in his hands. Beth started to smile at the sight of it but she still looked to him curiously. "Ripped it down from the wall," Daryl told her. "Was Sasha's idea. With winter comin', figured you might want to teach inside now. We can clean one of the rooms out for you."

"Daryl, I love it," she melted into a smile and reached a hand out, touching the chalkboard as if she had never touched it before. "My very own classroom," she then said, turning her smile up to him. Daryl was watching her, waiting to see if her reaction was a good one and when he saw that it was, he smiled a little, too.

Hershel suddenly appeared, clapping a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "Good haul, son."

The tips of Daryl's ears began to turn red because even now, after all of this time and all that he had done for all of them, Daryl still got so embarrassed when it came to others giving him praise and thanks.

He shrugged as if he had done nothing. "Jus' wanna get us all through winter."

"We will," Hershel assured him. "It's not like how it was for us. We have a home and a roof over our heads. Even if we all have moments of being a little cold, we'll be fine. None of us will be lost," he then said, patting Daryl's back again.

"Got you a lil' somethin', too. You and Rick," Daryl said and he looked to Beth, holding the chalkboard out for her and she took into her arms and Daryl and Hershel then turned, heading back towards the first car.

Beth hugged the chalkboard to her chest and smiled softly to herself as she began heading inside, the excited chatter of everyone around her. A good run put everyone in a good mood for the days to come and with all of them able to feel the bite of chill in the air getting sharper, they all needed a few good days.

She went to hers and Daryl's cell to put the chalkboard away, not sure yet which room she would want as a classroom. She was eager to choose one though. For so long, she felt as if she had no job other than a babysitter. She wasn't important to anything or anyone in the prison. All she did was take care of the kids. But slowly, she began to see that taking care of the kids was one of the most important jobs there was. The kids – more now than ever – really were the future and Beth was more than happy to watch them every day and teach them and care for them. Daryl had told her more than once that he couldn't imagine anyone else doing it as good as she did and those kids – and all of them – would be lost without her.

It had taken her some time but Beth had finally grown to believe him.

"Hey!" Maggie excitedly appeared in the cell door. "Did you see what we're having for lunch?" She asked, practically bouncing on her toes as she did.

"No, what?" Beth asked, almost laughing at how eager her sister was acting.

"Macaroni and cheese!" Maggie exclaimed. "They found a bunch in the school cafeteria. The noodles with the powder cheese kind. Oh my god, it's going to be the best damn macaroni and cheese we've ever had."

Beth laughed this time and Maggie grinned, snatching her hand and pulling her from the cell, not letting go of her hand even once they were out of the cellblock and outside. And Maggie was right. Beth couldn't remember having any macaroni and cheese better than the bowl in her hands. Instead of sitting at a table, the two sisters chose to sit on the warm blacktop in the warm sun and soon Glenn and most of the children had joined them. Maggie kept calling Glenn her hero and he smiled and shrugged and kept reminding them that Daryl had gone into the school first.

Speaking of Daryl, Beth's eyes scanned for him and finally spotted him, sitting on the steps leading up into cellblock C, a bowl of macaroni and cheese in his hands. Beth wondered what he was doing there by himself and excusing herself from the others, Beth got to her feet and headed towards him, wanting to find out.

"Hey, you," she greeted him with a gentle voice, standing in front of him.

"Hey," he grunted back, not pausing in shoveling the cheesy noodles into his mouth.

"Are you alright?" She asked though she wasn't entirely sure why he wouldn't be. It had been a successful run and he was back here, safe and alive, and it was just lunchtime and already, it was a wonderful day.

"Mmmm-hmmm," he said, glancing up at her before putting his concentration back to his food. Beth didn't press him any further. If Daryl wanted to talk, he would, and if he didn't want to then he definitely wouldn't.

She turned and sat herself down beside him on the step, her side pressed to his. She didn't say anything else and she watched the active prison yard of everyone enjoying their lunch.

"Totally fucked now," Daryl spoke suddenly and her eyes instantly looked to him. He scraped the last of the macaroni and cheese with his spoon and guided it to his mouth. He took a moment to chew and swallow and then sighed heavily. He didn't look at her. "That place was the last place 'round here like that and we just looted it. Nothin' left now."

"You don't know that," she told him softly, always the eternal optimist.

Daryl just shook his head, clearly not agreeing with her.

"And we have plenty of things now. Clothes can be mended. We have food. The garden and plenty of cans and your hunting and we just have to be smart and not go through it all quickly. And you and Glenn aren't picking up any more people to bring back… we'll be alright, Daryl."

She slipped her arm around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, looking at his profile. She expected him to tense as he sometimes did at open displays of affection but this time, he didn't. Maybe it was because no one was really paying attention to them or maybe he just didn't care about it right now.

"We'll be alright, Daryl," she said again in a soft voice. "What did people used to do before they had gotten used to relying on all of these things?"

Daryl turned his head, his face so close to her now, their noses nearly touched, and looked at her. "Those people didn' have dead things trying to kill 'em," he replied.

She smiled a little and shrugged. "The world keeps turning and changing and we'll adapt. People always do."

Daryl didn't say anything to that. He just kept quiet and looked into her eyes and Beth kept quiet, too. She knew Daryl didn't mean to be such a pessimist but sometimes, it was just who he was and he wasn't able to help himself.

Then – once again seeming not to care about all of the other people out there who could see them – Daryl was the one to lean in first and kiss her.

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading and please review!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I can't tell you how much I loved writing this little story.**

* * *

…

Story time was postponed that afternoon and instead, Beth asked the children to help her pick out their new classroom – a task all of the children was ecstatic for, treating it as if it was some sort of treasure hunt, running all over the prison and loudly and proudly declaring that they found it only to be told by the others that they could find something better and then they were off running again.

Beth took her time looking for a room. Judith was with her, in her arms, and Beth would stop in the doorway every time they came to an empty room and ask Judith what she thought of it. Judith would just smile and give her head a single head nod and Beth laughed, carrying her off to the next.

Beth wanted something that wasn't too small – she didn't want the room to get stuffy and the kids to get cranky – and she wanted something that definitely had windows to allow the natural light. But she also wanted something with plenty of wall space. The bit of chalkboard Daryl had managed to bring back with him was about as long as her chin to her knees and wide enough for her to wrap her arms around. She couldn't wait to hang that on the wall and then Glenn had managed to bring back a couple of posters with him – a large map of the world and then two others of the body's skeletal and muscular systems. Beth could already imagine the fun she would have, setting the classroom up. She smiled at just the idea of having an actual classroom. A classroom was something normal and this was their new normal world now.

Daryl told her to come find him when she found a room and he would help her start getting things cleaned out and hanging stuff on the walls but in the meantime, he had taken Luke and Mika with him to help him hide the hole – something that had definitely made some of the other children jealous.

There was one administrative building still standing and Beth told the children they should check there next. The kids all ran ahead like a stampede from _The Lion King_ , all laughing and shrieking and shouting to one another. Beth smiled as she followed behind and she saw Tyreese, stepping out of the guard tower that was on the backside of the prison.

"Tyreese!" She called out for him and he turned his head, smiling as soon as he saw her. She took a few hurried steps towards him. "Do you have a moment?" She asked.

"Course I do."

He gave her a warm smile and reached a finger out, tickling Judith's cheek, the baby giggling and Tyreese's smile growing. He had been quieter since Karen's death but he sometimes had these moments that was like the old Tyreese slipping through.

"Well, I'm getting a classroom set up," Beth told him and Tyreese nodded, already knowing that. Word always spread quickly throughout the prison when something new was going to be happening. "And I know you have your own job to do but Lizzie… I've been thinking that she's not allowed anywhere without supervision and I was wondering if you'd be interested sitting in class with her for a little bit every day. Just so she can get out of her cell and maybe learn something? I noticed that she had formed something of an attachment to you. _Not_ to pressure you into this," she quickly added and she wasn't quite sure why she felt somewhat nervous about this.

She wasn't entirely sure where the idea had come from; only that she had been trying to figure out for a while now what to do with Lizzie. Keeping her in her cell and keeping her supervised seemed to be the only things they could do. It wasn't as if they had a licensed psychiatrist on hand or medications that could help. They had to find other ways to help her. They couldn't expect a girl to spend the rest of her life in a prison cell without trying to figure out some way to try and rehabilitate her.

Tyreese was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. "I suppose I could do that," he agreed and he gave Beth a small smile which she returned with a much bigger one. After a moment, he tilted his head up towards the sky. "Smells like snow's coming."

Beth tilted her head up towards the sky, too. She inhaled the air and found herself smiling. She had always loved the cold air and the way it smelled right before a snowfall. She looked at Judith and smiled at the baby, the baby smiling in return.

She then looked back to Tyreese. "We're ready for it."

…

"Are you mad about us coming out here?" Mika asked as she handed Daryl another brick from the pile of the fallen wall.

"Nah," Daryl answered truthfully, shaking his head. "'s important for you to never forget what's out here. You kids need to learn how to be out here."

"You'll teach us," Luke said so matter-of-factly and confidently, it made Daryl forget what he was doing at the moment to look at the little curly-haired boy but Luke kept gathering the bricks with Mika like Daryl had told them to do.

He hadn't thought of it and he wondered why he hadn't. He thought of every other damn thing that he had to do within these prison walls. He supposed he had just figured that Carol and Beth would take care of it but he now realized that he'd have to help; take over. It wasn't as if he thought Carol couldn't teach these kids. But teaching them about knives and guns in the library didn't do shit in the grander scheme of things. They needed to be out here, in this new world, experiencing it.

"Yeah, I will," Daryl said, standing up from where he had been hiding the hole, making it look like it was nothing amongst the rubble of bricks. "We'll start now."

"Now?" Luke and Mika said at the same time with wide eyes and Daryl would have found it amusing if it wasn't such a serious situation.

"Now," he nodded his head once. He picked up his crossbow that was lying nearby and swung it up into his hands. "Le's see your knives," he said and Mika immediately pulled her knife from the sheath hanging at her side but Luke moved slower, looking nervous now. Daryl remembered in that day in the cellblock when people had gotten sick and died and turned into walkers, attacking the others. Luke had been petrified and Daryl had picked him up just in time. But it was important for Luke to learn how to protect himself because Daryl might not be around in time next time.

Daryl wasn't going to let anything happen to anyone here – especially the kids.

"A'right," he said with a head nod once he saw them with their knives in their hands and waiting for his next instruction. "We're headin' into the woods. Stay close and be quiet." He looked at them closely. "You ready for this?"

"Ready," Mika eagerly nodded her head and then Luke nodded, much more slowly.

"Stay close," he told them once more and then headed into the trees. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mika following him without hesitation and she had grabbed Luke's shirt sleeve, pulling him along with her.

Daryl stopped walking and waited for them to come up beside him. "Luke, I'm gonna wan' you on point," he said. "You walk in front of me and I'll be right behind you."

Luke visibly gulped but he nodded and took a few steps forward.

"Think you can be the caboose?" Daryl asked Mika and she grinned up at him, nodding. "A'right. Le's get goin' again," he said. "Lead the way, Luke."

Luke's fingers tightened around the hilt of his knife as he started walking. Every few moments, he would look over his shoulder to make sure that Daryl was still there, crossbow loaded and in his hands, and eventually, he started walking a bit less stiffly, as if comfortable with the knowledge that Daryl had his back.

Daryl glanced back to see that Mika was right behind him as she should be and he then looked up towards the sky. The sun was moving from midday towards the western horizon as the hour got later. He wouldn't keep them out late but he wanted them to help him take down at least one walker before they headed back.

…

Beth was busying herself, brushing down the horse's coat though she had just been brushed that morning, but if she didn't keep busy, she would be pacing in front of the hole, wondering where Daryl, Luke and Mika were. They had been gone for hours and no one had any idea where they had gone. They had just disappeared.

She and the kids had finally chosen a room to be their classroom – the visitor's room in the main administrative building. Plenty of windows and tables and chairs and it was big enough and spread out once they were working on activities. It would be perfect. Beth had stood there, imagining the ways in which she could set the room up and then, as she told him she would, she had gone to get Daryl so he could start helping her with cleaning up and arranging things.

But he hadn't been anywhere and neither were Luke and Mika and Beth tried her hardest not to panic. After all, the two kids were with Daryl and there was no one better in the prison to be outside the fences with than Daryl. She knew they were alright. She told herself this over and over again as she brushed the horse's mane over and over again.

It was twilight now though and they still weren't back. Dinner had been served and already cleaned up and _when_ they came back, Beth would be sure to give Daryl a lecture about keeping the kids out so late.

She heard a call come out from the tower at the main gate and she instantly lifted her head, turning to see that Glenn was out on the pulpit, calling down to the person on the ground, manning the gate that night to open it up. Beth looked and saw three figures. A man and two little kids. In an instant, Beth dropped the brush and left the horse pen, hurrying towards the front entrance. She looked them over as she came and they stepped through the gates. They were dirty with dried blood on them but Luke was riding on Daryl's back, laughing about something, and Mika was giggling, skipping as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Beth!" Both kids exclaimed as soon as they saw her approaching.

"What have you three been up to?" Beth asked as Daryl crouched down, letting Luke slide down from his back to his feet.

"We killed a walker!" Luke proudly boasted. "See?" He then unsheathed his knife, showing her the dried blood on it.

" _Two_ walkers. Daryl got one with his crossbow and then he showed me and Luke how to take down the other one," Mika said. "Daryl showed us _so_ much today."

Beth knelt down in front of Luke and like any other mother would, she wet her fingers and tried to rub the blood off from his jaw. "And where did this blood come from?" She asked, looking up to Daryl.

Mika smiled a little bit wider then as if ready to tell a joke. "We gutted one."

"Why?" Beth asked, almost letting out a huff of laughter because she didn't really know what else to do. She looked up to Daryl for an answer but again, the kids answered before he could.

"The stomach of one was really bloated and Daryl said that one had probably just eaten. We wanted to see what he had eaten so Daryl taught us how to open him up," Luke explained as if this was all something that they did every day. "It was a chipmunk!"

"We're going to learn about anatomy, right?" Mika asked.

Beth slowly nodded her head, standing up again. "We will…" she answered, still not entirely too sure what to say about any of this. It wasn't as if she was angry. There was absolutely no reason for her to be angry. The kids had to learn about walkers and how to protect themselves against the world on the other side of their fences. She just supposed she hadn't expected them to have so much fun while learning it.

Mika giggled then. "We got you something, too, Beth," she informed her.

"A'right," Daryl finally spoke and he frowned down at the two kids but the two kids just grinned up at him. "Go on and get yourselves somethin' to eat. Complainin' for hours how hungry you are."

"We were not complaining," Mika said and Luke laughed.

"Race you," Luke said to her and then took off running towards the hill, Mika taking off after him. "Good night, Beth!" He called out over his shoulder.

"Good night, Daryl!" Mika called out after.

"Damn kids," Daryl grumbled and Beth looked at him with a smile.

"It's good you did that with them," she said.

He shrugged. "Somethin' they gotta know," he said and she nodded, not disagreeing with him. "You worried?" He then asked and she was reminded that no one could ever read him as well as Daryl could.

"Of course I worried but I knew you and the kids would be safe," she said. "It's what you do. You keep everyone safe." She stepped up to him then, her body pressed to his tightly, and Daryl had no problem with leaning down in the semi-darkness and having his lips fall onto hers.

Beth sighed contently into his mouth the instant he kissed her and she lifted her arms, slipping them around his shoulders. She felt his own arms circle around her waist, pulling her body even tighter against him.

"What'd you get me?" She asked once their lips parted but their faces remained close.

Daryl shook his head. "Kids were jus' talkin'. I didn' get you nothin'," he said.

"Oh," she said and she wasn't entirely sure why but she felt disappointment even though she knew there was absolutely no reason to be. Unless he had brought her back some inner organs from the walker they tore up, what could he have possibly brought her? She gave him a small smile and kissed him again. "Come on. You need to eat dinner and then you need to wash up."

"Keep me company?" He asked as they began walking up the hill.

Beth smiled up at him. "Of course I will. Someone needs to help scrub your back."

…

Even in the showers late at night, when they were the only two using them and everyone else was either asleep or at least in their beds for the night, they made sure they kept themselves quiet. The tiles made everything echo and the last thing they ever wanted was for anyone to hear them going at it.

Daryl held her in his arms, her back against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she moaned and whimpered softly as Daryl pumped himself between her thighs, burying himself deeply inside of her with each forward thrust. She felt his heavy pants against her slick skin as he buried his face in the side of her throat and her fingers gripped his long hair, holding onto him as he took her.

The water streaming out of the showerhead was lukewarm now but neither seemed to be in any sort of hurry to finish up. Beth was getting close though, beginning to feel the familiar sparks that spread through her every nerve like a wildfire and then she was clenching and trembling in his arms, biting down on her lip so she wouldn't let out a scream of release and Daryl pumped a few more times before he quickly pulled out and she felt his own warm release spraying on her inner thighs.

He then all but fell against her, pinning her between the wall and his body, both of them panting heavily from exertion. Beth turned her head and nuzzled her nose against his ear and he seemed to burrow in closer to her in response.

"You're wonderful," she whispered to him and he snorted as if he didn't believe her though they both knew he had no reason to doubt her. "I love you."

Daryl didn't respond – not that Beth was waiting for him to – but his arms tightened around her in response, hugging her body to his so tightly, she doubted even water could get between them.

After cleaning themselves off one more time, Daryl turned the shower off and Beth went to the counter to comb her hair out and dry it off. Daryl rubbed a towel over his own hair and they both got themselves dressed silently. He took their towels, tossing them over his shoulder, and he then took her hand, Beth smiling as he led them from the bathroom, heading back towards their cell for the night.

"Daryl, look," Beth said quietly with excitement as they passed a window. Daryl stopped immediately and looked.

It was snowing. Soft light flurries that seemed to dance in the wind blowing and never seemed to actually touch the ground. Beth smiled, stepping a little closer to the window as if wanted to get a better look. She had always loved the snow even though it was usually rare for Georgia.

"You know, whenever it snowed, I always loved how it got so quiet. There was a special quiet that seemed to cover the world when it snowed," she started to say, speaking in a hushed voice. "It's silly but whenever it snowed, I always thought that if there was magic in the world, it was never more obvious than when it snowed." She smiled to herself. "It's so pretty."

She then turned her head to see Daryl's reaction to watching the snow but instead, he was looking right at her and his eyes seemed to be so dark to her, she nearly shivered. He didn't say anything but he then reached into the pocket of his jeans and she watched as he pulled something out. She broke into a small smile when he held up the small diamond ring in between his index finger and thumb that he had pulled from one of the two walkers that afternoon.

"I thought you said you hadn't gotten me anything," she teased him lightly.

"Damn kids were supposed to be quiet 'bout it," he grumbled and she laughed. He then stood there and looked at her closely and without a word, Beth held out her left hand to him. He didn't have to ask. That was one question he would never have to ask and he seemed to release a breath he was holding as he took her left third finger and slid the band on. "'s a lil' big," he noted, able to turn it with ease.

"It's perfect," Beth was quick to assure him. "Absolutely perfect. You know, when you do things like this for me, it makes me think that you might love me, Daryl Dixon," she said and she meant to say it as if she was teasing him but Daryl was staring at her, his face solemn, as if he found absolutely nothing funny about it.

"Course I love 'ya, Beth," he said in a low, quiet voice. "Jus' 'cause I don't say it-"

"You don't have to say it," Beth swiftly cut in. "You show me every day in a million different ways. I know you love me, Daryl."

Daryl took a step closer to her and his hand settled heavily on her hip. "Yeah, but, I gotta start tellin' 'ya. At least once a week or somethin'," he said and she laughed again, her hands lifting up to rest on his cheek.

"Alright. Once a week. We'll keep count," she said with a smile and his own lips twitched and she then stood up on her toes, putting her face closer to his. "So, you just married me," she pointed out to him.

He smirked. "Was pretty aware of what I was doin'," he said.

"This means we get a honeymoon now," she told him and he smirked again.

"What'd you have in mind? Bahamas or some shit like that? Might take us a while to get to," he said and she smiled, shaking her head.

"I was just thinking we go for a walk. Right now, in the snow," she said.

Daryl looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. We can do that. In a lil' bit though. Your hair's still damp and I don't wan' you gettin' sick on me," he said and she moved her face in, kissing him slowly and softly. Daryl's mouth moved against hers and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, keeping her as close to him as he could just like always.

Always keeping her as close to him as he could.

…

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 **The End.  
**

 **Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


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